Yoga is truly for everybody – babies included. Just like prenatal yoga, yoga for teens and yoga for kids, yoga for babies is fast becoming a popular class for moms and their newborns.
Here is what you need to know about yoga for babies.
Benefits
Yoga for babies classes are meant to give moms and babies a chance to bond as well as provide mothers with a bit of exercise. In addition, moms can learn new ways to relax their infant, say for instance, when he or she is crying and a bottle, nap or change of diaper isn’t doing the trick. Yoga for babies also provides mothers with simple movements and exercises they can do for their child in order to bring relief to a colicky baby or reduce gas pains.
Many yoga instructors feel that yoga for babies contributes to the physical, emotional and mental development of the child because of the movements’ subtle attention to coordination, breath, alignment and balance. Even though there have not been any research studies done on yoga for babies, as long as you are doing it with a qualified teacher and performing safe and simple postures, you and your baby are likely to experience special bonding and a rejuvenating time.
Poses
Baby yoga poses are quite different from yoga postures for adults. Most of the exercises involve mom laying or sitting on the mat with baby. A variety of positions are used with the mother subtly moving their child’s arms or legs, all the while breathing slowly with them and keeping in close physical contact.
Babies that are older and have a more developed sense of strength and balance can work with mom to perform postures like bridge or downward facing dog. In fact, babies as young as five months old can do a bridge posture.
Establishing the coordination that is required in baby yoga poses lays the foundation for developmental movements like crawling, walking and standing. In addition, the eye contact, soothing voice and gentle movements lend to the entire experience for both mom and baby.
Cautions
If you are interested in taking your infant to a yoga for babies class, check around your local studios to see which ones offer classes. If none of them do, consider talking to a yoga teacher who teaches prenatal yoga classes to inquire if they would start teaching a yoga for babies class. If you have a group of moms who want to try it out, you can arrange for the teacher to come to a mom’s house and lead a small group through a class.